The iPad is hot. No, literally, it’s hot…

Amid reports of Apple’s new iPad bursting into a virtual supernova (OK, that’s hyperbole), Consumer Reports tested the device and found it runs “significantly hotter” than the iPad 2 when, for example, users play graphics-heavy games.

Photo by Consumer Reports

In its test involving a thermal-imaging camera, the iPad ran as hot as 116 degrees Fahrenheit, the consumer-watchdog group said on its website. Even then, it added, the device wasn’t uncomfortable to hold.

Still, if you have hypersensitive hands, maybe you should use oven mitts when playing “Infinity Blade II.”

The report comes amid rumblings from online forums and websites, including Engadget, which pointed to a study that found the tablet runs hotter by 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said in a statement to Bloomberg that the new iPad operates “well within our thermal specifications.”

“If customers have any concerns they should contact AppleCare,” Miller said.